Thread: A Job for OhOh

...butt-kissing foreigners soak up praise from government-controlled media: no, no! Don't thank me, OhOh!

The foreigners in China’s disinformation drive

By Kerry Allen & Sophie Williams
BBC News
Published: 1 hour ago

IMAGE COPYRIGHTCGTN

Foreign video bloggers denouncing what they say is negative coverage of China on highly controversial subjects such as Xinjiang are attracting large numbers of subscribers on platforms like YouTube.

In recent years, the "vloggers" have been increasingly presenting themselves as China-lovers, spreading Communist Party disinformation.

YouTube labels Chinese state media like broadcaster CGTN as government-funded. But there is little policing when it comes to individuals promoting similar narratives.

Some vloggers are suspected of co-operating with state-owned outlets to spread China's rhetoric to the world. But it's far from clear what really motivates them, or how effective this strategy is.

Who are the vloggers?

Co-ordinated videos have recently been appearing on foreign vloggers' channels to counter investigative reports from independent media on the treatment of China's Uyghur community in its north-west Xinjiang region.

There are well-documented allegations of systematic human rights abuses on a huge scale in the region.

The vloggers include British expatriates Barrie Jones, Jason Lightfoot and father-and-son team Lee and Oli Barrett, who use their platforms to comment on the West's alleged "lies" and China's government policies.

They have subsequently gone on to appear in videos for Chinese state broadcaster CGTN.

Earlier videos on their personal channels focus on navigating daily life within China. More recent videos, however, have become overtly political; they staunchly defend China's rhetoric on topics ranging from Covid-19, to Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

Many of these YouTubers have hundreds of thousands of subscribers, and their videos are fiercely promoted and commented on by nationalist users.

'Never been paid to go on a trip'

Vlogging is popular in China, but Chinese video platforms have strict terms and conditions, restricting what users can post. Thousands of internet moderators also screen content.

Consequently, many Chinese vloggers end up posting material filmed from within their homes.

China's 1982 constitution guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of the press. However, Chinese vloggers and citizen journalists are often detained or arrested for making videos deemed to be unfavourable by the authorities. In December 2020, citizen journalist Zhang Zhan was jailed for four years after making a number of vlogs during Wuhan's coronavirus outbreak.

Expat vloggers like the Barretts and Jason Lightfoot, however, appear to be in a comparatively privileged position with significant access, and in some cases facilitated by local officials or state media in China...

...remainder of the article here: The foreigners in China’s disinformation drive - BBC News

Originally Posted by cyrille

Your thread title suggests that he's not already doing it

As long as TD allows me to post my informative news, these keep mysteriously arriving:

and replies are posted (15 already in 4 hours), I assume all of us, TD owners and posters, Uncle Xi, THE LORD ...., are happy.

Originally Posted by tomcat

who wants to be seen as a paid stooge?...

The people who are, "paid stooges" are whom, just the bloggers or ....?

1. Our Balliol College educated Bojo gets his regular "performance" bonus.

2. How much has this guy's, Black Rock managed portfolio, increased in his FED Chairman days?

3. ....

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

And the waffling begins....

Do waffle makers get paid the same rate as propagander posters in the west?

Originally Posted by tomcat

you'll fit in nicely.

A signed letter of recommendation sometimes helps, and if from a recognised expert, that would be excellent. Thank you.

Originally Posted by Hugh Cow

he would be extolling the virtues of the Chinese penal system.

Having no experience of any penal system, can you confirm they have high speed wifi?